e-commerce

South-East Asian ride-hailing firm Grab is teaming up with Malaysia’s biggest bank, Maybank, to drive adoption of its new mobile wallet. Having received an e-money license from Malaysia’s central bank late last year, Grab is set to roll out its GrabPay mobile wallet in beta in the next few weeks. To drive adoption, the firm…

Digi Telecommunications has teamed up with CIMB to roll out its wireless payments terminals where Malaysian businesses can accept credit and debit card payments. The devices will allow businesses to receive card-based payments for products and services without the need to be tethered to a physical phone line. The wireless payments terminals allow businesses to accept…

SpherePay, the Singapore-based mobile payments app, has raised USD 10 million in funding from unnamed investors. The company said that the names of the investors were not revealed owing to “on-going developments”. According to SpherePay, the latest fundraising along with its collaboration with bike sharing operator oBike will position it as the top three payment…

Payoneer, a cross-border payments company, has announced that Waze uses its services to power local payments for Waze Carpool. Waze Carpool connects riders and drivers with similar routes to commute together and reduce cars on the road. Unlike transport-for-hire services, Waze Carpool drivers are everyday Wazers and do not earn a salary. Instead, commuters use the new Waze…

Grab and Samsung have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help drive digital inclusion in Southeast Asia. The two companies will work together on a wide range of initiatives to bring the benefits of technology, such as enhanced customer experiences and improved income opportunities, to millions of consumers and Grab driver-partners across Southeast Asia. Grab is best…

WeChat Pay has started allowing cards issued outside of China to be loaded into their platform, opening up access to international customers. The option will be available to expatriates living in China, as well as in “Greater China”, to residents from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and will apply to cards issued by JCB, Mastercard and…

Chinese authorities might consider banning centralized trading of virtual currencies as well as individuals and businesses that provide related services, according to CNBC. In a memo outlining details of discussions at a meeting of internet regulators and other policymakers, PBOC Vice Governor said the government would continue to apply pressure to the virtual currency trade…

Ecommerce market in China is growing faster in western and central provinces than in the richer coastal regions, according to a recent report from Alibaba Group. The biggest rises in online retail sales during the first 11 months of 2017 were posted by Gansu province, Guizhou province and Tibet autonomous region, some of the poorest regions…

Google is revamping its mobile payment offerings and creating a new brand called Google Pay. The new product merges Google’s existing mobile payment platforms. That includes Android Pay, which lets customers pay for things online and in stores with their Android phones, and Google Wallet, which lets you send money to your friends. The new…

Amazon.com has launched Prime service in Singapore to offer customers access to fast shipping, streaming and gaming. In July 2017, the ecommerce tech company launched a free two-hour delivery service in Singapore, the first entry in open competition with Alibaba Group. In a fragmented region of 600 million people like Southeast Asia, some customers were underwhelmed…